Live, from Harvard Square– it’s the Sabeti Lab!

A little more than a year ago, I wrote a piece for Smithsonian about Pardis Sabeti, a Harvard geneticist who is one of those incredible overachievers that I’d hate if only she wasn’t so damn likable. Over the past decade, she’s devised robust computational analyses that have resulted in creative new ways to study evolution. She’s also an MD, and much of her recent work has focused on acute viral hemorrhagic fevers. And on top of all that, her post-docs and grad students regularly cite her as one of the most generous and caring mentors they’ve ever had.

Sabeti told me that one of the keys to getting good work out of a team is to make sure everyone is having fun — and one of the ways she does that is with her annual holiday cards. (Last year’s was an homage Psy’s ubiquitous “Gangum Style” video.) The latest entry in this six-year-old tradition features Sabeti and her lab mates acting out classic SNL skits. (They even managed to snag Seth Meyers and Chris Martin for guest appearances.) Here’s Pardis as a Conehead:

There’s plenty more where that came from. (Delicious Dish? Check. Wayne’s World? Check. Dick in a Box? Check and check.) This three-minute video clip has some behind-the-scenes action; the full card is below. Happy holidays, folks!